Improvement in stop-hinges



UNITED STATES 'PATENT GEEIOE.

JAMEs M. DODGE, or NEW YORK, n. Y.

lMPROVE'M ENT IN STOP-H INGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221,290, dated November4, 1879; application tiled April 29, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. DODGE, of city, count-y, and State otl NewYork, have i11- vented a new and useful Improvement in Stop- Hinges,which is fully described in the following specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a sideelevation ot' a part of a desk with my improved hinge applied, themovable part of the hinge and the desk-top being lowered; Fig. 2, asimilar View with the top elevated to its highest position; Fig, 3, asimilar view with the top stopped in proper position for a desk Fig. 4,a front elevation of the same, showing the two parts ot' the hinge, andFig. 5 a side elevation, showing a moditication in the construction ot'the hinge.

My invention relates to a hinge for desks and other articles in whichone part is movable, and it is desired to stop the movable part atcertain points.

Heretofore stop-hinges have been made by providing for sutlicient playon a pivot to permit the movable part of the hinge to be lifted overprojections on the fixed part which would otherwise arrest its motion.This kindv of hhinge is objectionable, for the reason that the entireweight ofthe movable section to which the movable part ot' the hinge isattached must be lifted over the projections in orderto disengage thestop and permit the further movement of the hinged section, and also onaccount of the noise occasioned by the play of the two parts ot' thehinge when operated.

The object of my invention is to provide a hinge in which the movablepart may be stopped and heid in the position desired, and released bysimply turning the movable member in the proper direction withoutlifting and without noise in its operation.

My invention consists in a pintle and-knuckle of peculiar construction,in combination with a loose ball which operates to stop the movable partof the hinge at the desired point, all of which will be hereinafter morefully described, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

In the drawings I have represented the hinge applied to a school-desk,the top or lid of which is intended to be hinged to the upright portion,so as to be raised and lowered.

In these drawings, A represents one of the standards or end pieces ofthedesk, and B the pintle ot' the hinge, which is iiXed to the standard.The inner portion of the pintle is round, as shown in Fig. 4 ot' thedrawings;

but the outer face is cut away somewhat nearly around the pintle, so asto provide an irregular or cam-shaped portion, C, as shown in thedrawings.

The movable part D of the hinge is provided with a knuckle or socket,which is fitted to receive the pintle B, and is closed so as to coverthe face of the pintle. lt is evident, therefore, that a passage will beformed around thc inner edge of the cam C between the eut-away portionot the pintle and the knuckle. A loose ball, E, is placed in thispassage or vacant'space between the knuckle and pintle, and the cam G isot' such shape that the opening or passage between it and the knuckle isconstricted toward the lower portion of the cam and enlarged toward theupper portion thereof.

The ball E is larger tha-n the lower portion ofthis space between theeam and knuckle, but smaller than the upper portion, so that whenpermitted to roll down within -thelower portion of the space, as shownin Fig. 3 ot' the drawings, the ball will be jammed between the cam Cand the knuckle, thereby stopping the movement of the knuckle around thepintle and securely holding it from dropping farther. At the same timethe knuckle may be released simply 'by elevating it or turning it back,as the stop-ball will of course then roll up into the upper enlargedportion of the chamber.

In one side-ot' the knuckle a pocket or recess, F, is made, large enoughthe receive the stopball. When it is desired to drop the lid of the deskit is first thrown up from the position shown in Fig. 3 ot' thedrawings, thereby releasing the ball, which drops into the pocket F whenthe latteris brought around far enough in front by the upward vibrationof the knucklepiece D to permit the ball to fall-into it. Theknuckle-piece may now be turned downward, and the ball resting in thepocket will be earried backward and upward behind the eamprojection C,permitting the knuckle-piece D to drop into a vertical position, asshown in Fig. l ofthe drawings. \Vhen in this movement the pocket F isbrought around above the upper portion of the cam C, so as to be againuncovered, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, the ball will roll out ofthe pocket and down the incline ofthe cam until it rests again betweenthe pintle-cam and the knuckle, so that whenever the knuckle-piece isagain turned upward the ball will be in position to stop it fromdropping again, as described above.

It will thus be seen that a stop is provided for the hinge whichrequires no lifting of any of the parts being operated by turning themovable part ot the hinge upon its pintle in the ordina-ry waythat is,always in the same plane.

The construction is very simple and not liable to derangenient, and asthe wall is incloscd, and therefore protected from dirt, the wear isvery slight.

1n applying this hinge to desks, thc lid or top H is fastened to theknuckle-pieces D, so as to rise and fall with them. The standards or endpieces may also be provided with suitable stops to arrest the upwardmovement of the lid, and hold it in an elevated position, as shown inFig. 2 ofthe drawings, it' desired.

In Fig'. 5 of the drawings I have shown a modification in theconstruction of thejoint, the proiecting portion C of the pintle beingof diierent form, and the knuckle being cut away t'or about one-fourthot' the distance around :in front of the pocket F, so that the stop-ballis caught between a shoulder on the knuckle and the corner of the cam C,as shown in the drawings. But the principle otl operation is preciselythe saine as in theconstruction shown in the other figures ot` thedrawings and described above.

Other moditieations may be made in the construction of the two parts ot'the hinge. The pintlc may have only a groove in its end piece, throughwhich the ball may pass from its elevated position toits lower orworking position; or this passage may be a hole drilled through the bodyot' the pintle, the arrangement of the pocket in the knuckle beingchanged to correspond.

The knuckle may alsohave one or more pockets arranged in different waysto take the ball in ditt'erent positions.

Instead ot' asphere a cylindrical stop may be employed, or anoval-shaped piece will operate in practice, though l prefer thespherical form, as with it there is less friction, and

the movement is more free. It is only necessary, in the construction ofthe hinge, to provide for the jamming of the stop-ball between themovable and fixed parts at the point where it is desired to stop thehinge to provide a pocket or recess in the movable part in which theball may be taken from its working position, and carried around thereinas the movable part drops, and to provide a passage in the pintle orixed part, along which the ball may pass from its elevated position toits working position by the action of gravity.

Vhenever these conditions are obtained, the principle of my inventionwill be incorporated. I do not therefore confine niyseltl to the preciseconstruction of parts herein described and shown, for it is evident thatmy improvement may be applied not only to desks but to many otherarticles in which there is a vibration of one or more parts, in avertical or substantially-vertical direction, and in applying theinvention to various articles it will be found necessary to change theform and construction ofthe parts to adapt them to the special locationsin which they are placed, and the particular result which it is desiredto obtain. These changes may be readily made, however, and still retainthe simplicity, durability, and cheapness of the hinge.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a stop-hinge, a pintle provided with a passage leading from theupper to the lower side thereof, and a knuckle or socket-piece, the twoparts constructed to provide a constricted or cam opening between them,and the knuckle having an enlarged side pocket or recess, ineonibination with a loose stopball larger than the cam-opening, wherebythe two parts ot' the hinge are stopprd at the point desired by the ballcaught in the eanropening, and released by raising the knuckle piece topermit the ball to drop into the side pocket, in which it is carriedround and dropped into the upper end ot` the pintle-passage by loweringthe knuckle-piece, substantially as described.

2. The pintle B, having a transverse groove or passage, in combinationwith the movable knuckle or socket D, provided with a pocket, F, at theside ot' the socket, and the loose ball E, constructed and operatingsubstantially as described.

JAMES M. DODGE.

In presence otl- E. A. SHERBURNE, W. HOLDEN.

